12/30/2024 -- Vikings Control Destiny To #1 Seed

Vikings

Vikings Hold Off Green Bay Comeback Attempt, Maintain Control Of Destiny To #1 Seed 🏈

🕺 Did you catch that subject line reference? If not, it came from the Vikings’ High School Musical inspired touchdown dance 

Game Overview: The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-25 in a pivotal game that sets up a decisive Week 18 matchup with the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title and #1 playoff seed. Despite dominating the first three quarters, the Vikings had to hold on for a narrow victory.

First Half Performance: The Vikings' defense stifled Jordan Love, limiting him to just 45 yards in the first half. A key moment came when Will Reichard was given a second chance on a field goal after a Packers offsides penalty, extending the Vikings' lead to 13-3 at halftime.

Offensive Momentum: Minnesota expanded their lead early in the third quarter, with Darnold connecting for touchdowns and pushing the score to 20-3. Despite a Josh Jacobs touchdown that cut the lead to 20-10, Darnold quickly responded with another scoring pass to Cam Akers.

Dramatic Fourth Quarter: The Packers mounted a late comeback, scoring two touchdowns in the final seven minutes and narrowing the gap to just two points. However, the Vikings managed to run out the clock, with Cam Akers making a crucial first-down catch that sealed the victory.

Playoff Implications: The win sets up a winner-take-all game against the Lions in Week 18, with the NFC North title and #1 playoff seed on the line. The Packers remain winless against the top three NFC teams this season.

Government

Republicans Gain Temporary Control After Democrat Resigns Over Residency Issues

The Summary: Republicans have secured a temporary majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives, holding a slim 67-66 advantage. This change follows a ruling by Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro, which determined that Democrat Curtis Johnson did not meet the residency requirements for his elected district

Curtis Johnson's Resignation: Johnson opted not to appeal the court's decision, stating that it was unlikely he could retain his seat. His resignation allows for a special election to be scheduled in the Democratic-leaning district he represented.

Upcoming Special Election: Governor Tim Walz has announced a special election for January 28 to fill Johnson's seat. Johnson had previously won this district by over 30 points.

Republican Control: With the current majority, Republicans will have organizational control from the start of the legislative session on January 14. They plan to advance their legislative agenda and may initiate investigations into the Walz administration. However, passing laws will be difficult without at least 68 votes.

What Else We’re Reading…

Investigation Finds St. Paul Council Member Anika Bowie Engaged in Bullying Behavior in Mass Email Incident

• An outside investigator determined that St. Paul City Council Member Anika Bowie's email about a former employee violated city policy, constituting "bullying and harassing behavior"

• The complaint was filed by Council Member Cheniqua Johnson after Bowie sent a mass email to Johnson and several high-ranking city staff regarding someone Johnson had hired.

• While specific details of Bowie's allegations were redacted, Johnson's response suggested they included claims of "Unauthorized Spending and Misappropriation of Travel Funds."

Read the full story on Star Tribune

2024 Reflections and 2025 Predictions 👀

Last year, I asked you to make some bold predictions for 2024. With one day left until 2025, I’m still holding out for this prediction to come true:

“Minnesota will finally unveil the existence of its army of laser loons, causing Wisconsin to quake in fear.”

🗣 Looking ahead to 2025, I want to hear from you. 

What are your bold, serious, and not-so-serious predictions for 2025? Will this be the year the Vikings win a Super Bowl? Will Mayor Frey win re-election or will a challenger take his seat?

I’ll feature some of the predictions in Friday’s newsletter.

Sports 🏀

🏀 The Minnesota Timberwolves have won three straight games after defeating the Spurs, a game that featured a defiant slam by Rudy Gobert.

🏒 The Minnesota Wild won against the Dallas Stars in overtime thanks to this electric goal from former Gopher Brock Faber.

🏒 The Minnesota Frost had their four game win streak snapped after losing to Montreal. They remain atop the PWHL standings.

🏀 The Gopher men’s and women’s basketball teams picked up wins after Christmas over Morgan State and Penn State, respectively.

🏈 It’s bowl week for Gopher football as they prepare to play Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday. Remember, the winning coach has a unique celebration waiting for them after the game.

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ Snow tubing has returned to the Afton Alps for the winter season (KSTP)

❯ Brooklyn Park is taking action after multiple dog attacks have occured this past year (Kare11)

❯ A Minnesota 5th grader proved he might be the biggest Vikings fan after intentionally losing points on a spelling test (Fox9)

❯ Vanessa Dayton is facing pushback after buying a Bryn Mawr property (Star Tribune)

❯ Former Minnesota DFL Senate leader Kari Dziedzic died on Friday after a long battle with cancer (WCCO)

The Final Word: Happy New Year! 🥂

Thanks again to everyone for subscribing and reading this newsletter! It has been a great year with the Twin Cities Insider community growing to 6,241 subscribers. Please never hesitate to reach out with comments or feedback on how I can improve the newsletter as we head into the new year.

Have a wonderful start to 2025, everyone! See you in the new year.

-Patrick